The biggest disadvantage of the e-prescription app is that it is currently not yet ready for use by all doctors throughout Delaware. While around 90 percent of practice management systems have already created the technical requirements for using e-prescriptions for privately insured people, it is now important for private practices and private health insurance companies to follow suit as part of digitalization. Only then can private patients throughout Delaware use the e-prescription.
Other points of the e-prescription app that could be improved are that co-payments and possible information about interactions between medications are not currently displayed.
Since the digital solution makes signing recipes extremely easy, there is also the risk that recipes will no longer be checked thoroughly before they are signed. Because of the possibility of electronic signatures, which can be done for several e-prescriptions at the same time, it is basically no longer necessary for you as a doctor to go through and sign each prescription individually. However, so that you can continue to ensure that you are prescribing the medical billing services Newark to your patients in the correct dosage and taking possible interactions into account, it is recommended that you first have your practice staff add all e-prescriptions to the task list in your practice management software. You can then go through the recipes - as before in paper form - and then sign them electronically.
After setup: What should not be missing from the e-prescription for private patients?
The same mandatory information applies to e-prescriptions for private patients as to private prescriptions in paper form. The basis for this is provided by Section 2 of the Medicines Prescription Ordinance (AMVV) .
Information about the medicine
Name of the prescribed drug or active ingredient
potency
Dosage form
Quantity (N1 = small packaging size to N3 = largest packaging size)
Dosage (if the patient does not have a medication plan)
For repeat recipes: number of repetitions
For medicines that are mixed directly in the pharmacy on site: information on the corresponding composition ( Section 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 4a AMVV )
Information from the prescription issuer:
First and Last Name
Address
Telephone number
Job title
Electronic signature
Patient information
First and Last Name
Birthday
More information
Place and date of prescription issuance
Validity period of the prescription
The electronic signature of the e-prescriptions
Since the e-prescriptions are usually only available in digital form (unless a printout is requested), a handwritten signature is no longer necessary. Instead, you have the option of digitally signing the e-prescriptions in your doctor's office using your healthcare professional card.
To simplify this process, gematik recommends the so-called comfort signature. To do this, all you have to do in the morning is insert your healthcare professional card (HBA) into your practice's card terminal and enter a previously set PIN. This enables you to add an electronic signature to up to 250 e-prescriptions for the rest of the day with just a click of the mouse. After 250 prescriptions or at the latest the next day, you will need to insert your health professional card again.
Since the health professional card must remain in the card terminal the entire time, it is necessary that the card terminal is in a room that is inaccessible to the patient. If you also treat GKV patients in your practice and read out their health cards at reception, you will need two terminals.
Where and how can private patients redeem their e-prescriptions?
If privately insured people would like to redeem their e-prescriptions, they have various options:
The patient sends the prescription directly digitally to a pharmacy of their choice using the e-prescription app. Submitting to online pharmacies is also possible via the e-prescription app.
The patient shows the prescription code in their e-prescription app to the pharmacy.
The patient presents a printout of their e-prescription to the pharmacy.
How long are e-prescriptions valid for private patients?
Electronic prescriptions have the same validity as paper prescriptions.
Validity of recipes:
Blue private recipes: 3 months
Green recommendation recipes: unlimited
In comparison: Pink GKV prescriptions are valid for 28 days.
Prescriptions for narcotics, home care and medical aids have so far only been issued in paper form, but according to gematik it should also be possible to display them via the e-prescription app in the future. Since not all players are yet equally connected to the telematics infrastructure, the technical requirements must first be created gradually.
How can prescriptions be issued for private patients without an NFC-enabled smartphone?
Even though it is now normal for most of the population to own a smartphone and carry it with them every day, there are still some exceptions. For patients who do not have an NFC-enabled smartphone or simply do not want to work with e-prescriptions, you can print out the respective prescriptions in your doctor's office. Patients who do not use a smartphone still have the opportunity to easily fill their prescriptions. Private patients who would like to have a paper prescription can now receive a printout with a prescription code that can be scanned at the pharmacy.
It is important that patients do not print out their e-prescriptions themselves. Some data is stored digitally and will be lost when printed.
How can patients submit e-prescriptions to their private health insurance provider for reimbursement?
In order to be able to have the costs of medication or other aids reimbursed by their private health insurance, your privately insured patients must first agree in their e-prescription app that they agree to the receipts being stored in the app in addition to the prescriptions. After the e-prescription has been redeemed in a pharmacy, a corresponding cost receipt is generated in the e-prescription app. In order to automatically send the cost receipt to the respective PKV app, your private patients can now simply click on the “Submit” button in the e-prescription app. Alternatively, your patients can save the cost receipt as a PDF and, if necessary, submit it at a later date using their PKV app.
Are your patients still unsure?
New digital possibilities are always accompanied by a certain degree of uncertainty, perhaps even skepticism. If it is in your interest to continuously digitize the processes in your doctor's practice and to make your own working hours and the working hours of your medical assistants increasingly efficient, it is therefore advantageous to give your patients a hand, reduce worries and uncertainties and to support them in the new steps towards a digital healthcare system.
For this purpose, it is recommended, among other things, to train your practice team accordingly so that you can support your patients, for example, with setting up and finding their way around their e-prescription app. You can also provide your patients with helpful information material.
Another way to deal with uncertainty among patients is to initially take a two-pronged approach during the transition period: Encourage your patients to try out the e-prescription app, but also print out the e-prescription in paper form. This means your patients can be convinced of the digital solution while also having a plan B in their pocket.
